Furniture construction



April 24, 1962 B. STOPEK FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledAug. 4, 1960 IN V EN TOR. BENJAM/N S TOPEK ATTORNEY April 1962 B. STOPEK3,031,244

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTOR.BENJAMIN JTOPEK BYMJZZZ/ AT RNE) April 24, 1962 B. STOPEK 3,031,244

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.BE NJA MIN .16 TOPE K A TTORNE Y April 24, 1962 B. STOPEK FURNITURECONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR. BENJA M/NSTOPEK BY Z% A TTORNE'Y 3,031,244 FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION BenjaminStopek, West Hempstead, N.Y., assignor to Ideal Toy Corporation, Hollis,N.Y. Filed Aug. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 47,457 8 Claims. (Cl. 311100) Thepresent invention relates generally to furniture, and specifically to aknock-down furniture construction wherein the legs of an article offurniture may be releasably secured to a body thereof, whichconstruction finds useful application in the manufacture of tables,chairs, and the like.

It is often desirable in various articles of furniture, to provideknock-down features whereby the legs thereof may be releasably securedto, and then detach from, the body of the article. Such a feature isparticularly attractive in situations where the article of furniture isto be transported and stored by the consumer. Further, the knock-downfeature is particularly advantageous where it is important that thedistribution of the furniture be acheived at a relatively lowunit costand where a large number of individual units are involved each having arelatively low unit cost.

A persistent problem in the sale and handling of furniture is caused bythe rather bulky characteristics of most articles of furniture,particularly tables, chairs and other like pieces wherein a largeportion of the bulk is produced by the depending legs. A partialsolution to this problem is to ship such pieces of furniture in adisassembled condition for subsequent assembly at the retail outlet.Although the shipping and storage problems are reduced by thisexpedient, other problems associated with the disassembly before packingand the reassembly before sale are introduced. In addition, this type ofdistribution, wherein the retailer is required to assemble the furniturebefore sale, restricts sales through the majority of retail outletswhich are not equipped to perform these hand assembly operations.

The most desirable form of distribution is one in which the articles offurniture may be originally packed in a carton or the like, shipped tothe retailer in that carton, and then sold directly to the consumerwithout any requirement for the carton to be opened. This maybeaccomplished by providing a knock-down feature in the article offurniture such that the legs of the furniture are not initially attachedto the body of the furniture, but

rather, are packed in their unassembled state. A sample piece offurniture may be on display at the retail outlet as assembled; however,the articles of furniture which are ultimately sold to the public may beplaced in conventional cardboard sale boxes and sold in units directlyto the customer. This obviously eliminates a great number of differingdistribution and storage problems which ordinarily accompany the sale offurniture items, thus allowing for mass distribution wherein relativelylow distribution costs are incurred and wherein a relatively low unitprice may be maintained. Such features are particularly advantageous inthe distribution and sale of the childrens furniture or play furniturewherein the requirements for low price is of high importance and whereinthe ultimate consumer will often wish to assemble and disassemble thearticle of furniture for transportation and storage after the finalsale. 1

In addition to the long existing demand for furniture having goodknock-down characteristics, there has grown up in recent years a demandfor furniture construction Unite States P w- 3,031,244 Patented Apr.24%, 1962 "ice wherein the individual parts of the article of furnitureare constructed of molded plastic or the like. Whereas conventionalfurniture designs are ideally suited for manufacture out of wood, metaland the like, the use of plastic in similarly constructed furniture hasnot proved highly successful. The mechanical characteristics of plasticmaterials is such that the interaction of furniture legs with the bodyof the furniture, when plastic construction materials are involved,should be of a design wherein the unique mechanical properties of suchmaterials are used to their fullest advantage.

Generally, it is the object of the present invention to provide aknock-down furniture construction wherein one or more of the aboveadvantages are realized. Specifically, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a furniture construction having knock-downcharacteristics facilitating low cost handling and distribution.

It is a further object of the present invention to pro- .vide afurniture construction finding useful application in a variety ofdiffering furniture items, such as tables,

chairs, etc., wherein a majority of the component parts of the table maybe constructed of molded plastic.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a furnitureconstruction finding useful application in a variety of differingfurniture items, such as tables, chairs, etc., wherein a majority of thecomponent parts of the table may be constructed of molded plastic.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide afurniture assembly wherein the leg and the body of the furnitureassembly may be shipped and handled in a knocked down condition therebysaving space and eliminating bulky handlng problems.

In accordance with one illustrative embodiment demonstrating-features ofthe present invention there is provided a table. construction comprisinga top and having formed therein depending tapered leg-mounting membersat each corner. A leg is positioned at each corner of the top and formedwith an upwardly opened socket which is complementary to and receivesthe adjacent legmounting member. Means are provided for releasablysecuring each of the table legs to the top wherein the dependingleg-mounting members are received within the socket formed in the leg.The releasable securing means for fastening the table legs to the tabletop includes a latching member which is pivotally mounted on thefurniture leg and a latching dog on the table top which is engaged bythe latching member. The pivoting action of the latching member iseffective to securely engage the leg socket within the complementaryleg-mounting member such as to rigidly attach the leg to the table top.

As still a further feature of the present invention, there are providedbracing means to add further rigidity to the assembly of the legs andthe furniture body. Each of the legs are formed with a brace receivingopening adapted to receive the bracing means at a bracing locationspaced below the leg socket- Bracing arms are provided which .have ahooked terminal section at their lower ends which are received in .theadjacent brace-receiving openings when the legs are turned to anassembly position wherein the respective sockets are turned away fromthe leg-mounting members. The legs are turned substantially end for endand rotated to an assembled position wherein the hooked terminal sectionof the bracing arms are in a bracing position straddling the hollowinteriors of the legs at their bracing locations. The other end of eachbracing arm is formed with appropriate securement means for attachmentto the table top to brace the legs with respect thereto.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention can be best appreciated by referenceto the following detailed description of a presentlypreferred'embodirnent, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a table constructed in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded view of the table shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4 and are partial perspective views of a corner of the tableshown in FIG. 1 progressively illustrating the attachment of a leg ontothe table body by means of the releasable securement means.Specifically:

FIG. 3 illustrates the U-shaped latching member being placed through thecut-outs of the body of the table;

FIG. 4 illustrates the securement of the U-shaped latching member to theleg; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the camming action of the latching member which iseffective to secure the leg to the body of the table;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a corner portion of the table asshown in FIG. 1 illustrating the releasable securement means;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the lines 7-7 of FIG. 6 andillustrating the depending leg-mounting member within the leg andsecurement made by the releasable securement means:

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the bracing portion of a leg illustratingthe hooked terminal portion of a bracing arm secured within the leg;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view similar to the exploded view of FIG. 2illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention wherein asecond form of bracing is employed;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the portion of the table as illustratedin FIG. 9 illustrating the leg-mounting means thereof and furtherillustrating the attachment of a brace arm to the body of the table;and,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the lines 11-11 of FIG. 10 andlooking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the attachment of abrace arm to the body of the table.

Referring now specifically to the drawings there is shown in FIG. 1 atable construction generally designated by the numeral 1%) whichincludes a table top 12, four depending legs 14 located at each of thecorners of the top 12 and brace means 16 secured between each of thelegs 14 and to the top 12. The table construction 10 is shown as anillustrative embodiment of the present invention, however, it should beappreciated that the present invention may find useful embodiment in avariety of other furniture assemblies wherein a plurality of legssupport a body, the table top 10 being represented in other forms offurniture by a chair seat, a chest bottom or any other furniture memberwhich is to be supported on legs.

The table top 12 includes a bottom wall 18 which is surrounded by fourupstanding walls 20 extending upwardtherefrom, the bottom wall 18 andthe upstanding wall 20 effectively defining a well 22 within the tabletop 12. A marginal flange 24 forms the peripheral edge of the table top12 and is composed of a fiat ledge 26 spaced above the bottom wall 18depending side walls 28 which are substantially parallel to theupstanding walls 20 of the well 22. The well 22 may serve as a storagebody for miscellaneous items and may be covered with a flat top surface,such as 12a as seen in FIG. 1, for use as a normal table surface, aplaying board or other use.

At each of these four corners of the bottom wall 18 the table top 20there are located integrally formed frustro conical dependingleg-mounting members 30. Adjacent to and on opposite sides of eachdepending leg-mounting members 30 are formed a pair of cut-outs in thebottom wall 18. The construction of the depending leg-mounting member,the cut-out 32 and the configuration of the surrounding portions of thebottom wall 18 will be more 1 fully detailed below in connection with adescription of the securement means by which a leg 14 is rigidly andreleasably secured to the table 12.

Each of the legs 14 are substantially identical and includes a mainconical leg-portion 34 of downwardly decreasing cross section and a baseportion 36 of generally conical configuration having a taperapproximately equal and opposite to that of the main portion 34. The leg14 terminates at the base portion in a rubber or the like footing 38suitably secured to the base portion 36.

At its upper end, the leg 14 is formed with a marginal rim 40 having apair of depending lugs 42 at opposite sides of the rim 40 into which hasbeen formed pivot holes 44. A U-shaped latching member 46, which will bemore fully described below, is positioned through the cut-out 32 and thebottom wall 20 and engages the pivot holes 44 on the leg 14. Thelatching member 46, the depending leg-mounting member 30, and thecomplementary internal surface of the main leg-portion 34 are elfecitve,as will be detailed below, to securely fasten the leg 14 to the tabletop 12.

In the first illustrative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the bracemeans 16 includes a pair of substantially V-shaped brace members 48including a pair of bracing arms 50, 52. At the apex of the legs 50, 52an integral bolt-receiving eye 54 is formed by means of which the bracemembers 48 are secured to a central hole 56 formed in the bottom wall 13of the table top 12 by means of the bolt and washer 58 and wing-nut 60.Each of the legs 50, 52 is formed with a hooked terminal section 62which is effectively engaged within a brace-receiving opening 64 formedwithin the main portion 30 of the leg 14 defining a bracing locationtherein.

As will be appreciated upon viewing the exploded view of FIG. 2 and theperspective view of FIG. 1, after the bracing means 16 have beenconnected to the leg 14, the legs 14 have been placed onto the dependinglegmounting members 30 on the table top 12, the latching members 46 havebeen effectively secured, and the bracing means 16 have been fastened tothe bottom wall 18 of the table top 12, the table 10 is substantially inits completed and rigid form. The top wall 12a may then be secured tothe table top 12 parallel to and above the bottom wall 18 and positionedwithin the marginal flange 24 to afford a smooth top surface to thetable 12.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 for a specificdescription of the releasable securing means which are effective tosecure the legs 14 to the table top 12. It should be noted in connectionwith the detailed views of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, that a raised section 18ais formed within the bottom wall 18 of the table top 10. The raisedsection 18a is non-parallel to the bottom wall 18 such that its highestportion is closest to the corner of the table top 12 and the section 18ais inclined downwardly towards the center of the table top 12. Theraised and tilted section 18a is thereby effective to tilt the centerline of the depending leg-mounting member 30 and is thereby effective toimpart a tilt to the legs 14 secured thereto. As will be seen in FIG. 1,the individual legs of the table construction 10 depends from the tabletop 12 at a slight outward angle thereby providing increased rigidity tothe table construction 10 and forming an esthetically pleasing overallconfiguration.

In FIG. 3 the latching member 46 is shown, as indicated by the dottedarrows, about to be placed within the cutouts 32 formed in the bottomwall 18, specifically within the raised section 18a. The latching member46 is of generally U-shaped configuration having a bight portion 66forming the base of the U and substantially parallel arms 68 extendingaway from the bight 66. At the ends of each of the arms 68 there areformed curved locking sections 70 which join the arms 68 at an abruptbend 72. The locking sections 79 curve through approximately andterminate in inwardly directing stubs 74. As may be seen in FIG. 6, thelocking sections 66 are parallel to each other and the stubs 78 extendinwardly towards each other. The cut-out 62 has a substantially L-shapedconfiguration formed by the inward extension 32a of the cut-outextending from the main portion of the cut-out 32 towards the oppositelylocated cut-out 32. The extension 32a of the cut-out 32 is provided suchthat the locking section 78 of the latching member 46 may be passeddownwardly into the cut-out 32, the extension 32a providing clearanceroom for the extended stubs 74.

Immediately contiguous to the cut-out 32 on the bottom wall 18 arepositioned the raised latching dogs 76 which are formed on oppositesides of the leg-mounting member 30 on the upper face of the bottom wall18 and which project upwardly away from the depending leg-mountingmember 38. The function of the latching dogs 76 will be best appreciatedupon consideration of the description below of the operation of thelatching member 46.

As seen in FIG. 4, the latching member 46 has been passed downwardlythrough the cut-out 32 such that bight portion 66 is flat against theupper face of the bottom wall 18. The arms 68 of the latching member 46are then spread outwardly from each other and a cable leg 14 is placedinto position for attachment of the latching member 46 thereto. Thepivot holes 44 are properly aligned and the lugs 74 of the latchingmember 46 are placed thereinto such that a pivotal connection is formedbetween the latching member 46 and the leg 14. The natural springycharacteristic of the material employed in the construction of thelatching member 46 is such that the arms 68 spring back inot theirsubstantially parallel configuration and are effective thereby to holdthe lugs 74 into the pivot holes 44. The

relative positions of the table top 12 and its bottom to that shown inFIG. 5, the bight portion 66 of the latching member 46 is pulledupwardly with respect to table top 14, such that the leg socket 34a,which is provided by the inner conical surface of the leg 14, is broughtinto intimate contact with the complementary conical surface 30a of thedepending leg-mounting member 30.

The latching member 46' is then rotated through approximately 90 fromthe dotted line position shown in FIG. 5 to the solid line position.This rotation of the latching member 46 is eifective to engage thelocking section 70 of the latching member 46 against the latching dog 76positioned on the bottom wall 18. It will be appreciated from aconsideration of the geometry of the latching member 46 that as same ismoved, the sharp bend 72 between the arm 64 and the latching section '70presents an obstacle for the further free motion of the latching member46. This interengagement of the latch ing member 46 with the latchingdog 76 is efliective to cam the leg 14 upwardly by means of the stubs 74such that a tight contact is insured between the leg socket 34a and thecomplementary leg-mounting member 30. As the latching member 46 isfurther rotated about the pivotal stubs 74 within the pivot hole 44, thesharp bend 72 is passed over the latching dog 76 and the locking section70 is engaged therewith. The distance between the center of the stub 74and the inside surface of the locking section '78 is slightly greaterthan the corresponding distance to the lower surface of the sharp bend72 such that a slight detent is formed which is efiective to keep thelatching member 46 in its latching position. The interaction of the leg14, the socket 34a, the leg-mounting member 30, the latching dog 76 andthe latching member 64 may be best seen in the sectional view of FIG. 6.

The table construction 18 may be made more rigid by i the provision ofthe bracing means 16. In the first illustrative embodiment of afurniture construction as illus- 'the exploded view of FIG. 2 whereinthe forward lefthand leg 14 is shown in solid line and phantomconfiguration as it is assembled to the hook terminal section 62 of thearm 58. The legs 14 are secured to the brace members 48 before they aresecured to the latching member 46 and to the table top and before thebrace members 48 are attached to the mounting hole 56 in the table top12. This is accomplished as diagrammatically shown in FIG. 2 wherein aleg 14 is held with its upper end facing downwardly as shown in thesolid line configuration of FIG. 2. The end of the hooked terminalsection 62 is inserted within the brace-receiving opening 64 in the leg14 and the leg 14 is thereupon rotated substantially end for endpivoting about the brace-receiving opening until an upright position isreceived as indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. 2. After this end forend rotation is complete the hook terminal section 62 will be containedcompletely within a hollow leg 14 with the arm 58 of the brace member 48extending outwardly therefrom as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 8.It will be appreciated that the end of the hooked terminal section 62abuts one side of the inside of the hollow leg 14 the other side ofwhich is engaged by a portion of the curve of the terminal section 62.This interaction of the terminal sections 62 and the bracing locationsof the legs 14 is eifec tive to secure the brace means 48 to the legs 14and to prevent axial movement therebetween.

When each of the four legs 14 has been attached to their respectivebrace members 48 in the manner described above, the latching members 46'are secured to the upper portion of the leg 14 at the pivot holes 44 andthe legs 14 are secured to the table top 12 as detailed above. Thebolt-receiving eyes 54 of the brace members 48 are thereupon secured tothe bottom wall 18 by means of the bolt and washer 58 passing throughthe hole 56 and into the wing nut 68. The bracing means 16 are therebyeffective to provide firm structural connections between the bracingportions of the leg 14 and a central point of the table top 12.

I FIGS. 9, l0 and 11 disclose a second embodiment 10A of the presentinvention wherein a second form of bracing means, generally labeled 88,is providedto give added support to the legs 14 in addition to thatsupport derived by. the depending leg-mounting members 30. In allinstances other than the brace means 80, the table constructionillustrated in FIGS. 9, l0 and 11 is identical to that illustrated inFIGS. 1 through 8 with similar parts having similar functions.Therefore, a complete description of the table construction 18A shown inFIGS. 9, l0 and 11 will not be given, the description of FIGS. l through8 being sufficient to describe the constructions.

The brace means 88 for the table 18a includes individual brace arms 82,84-, 86, 88, one for each of the legs 14 employed in the tableconstruction. Generally, each brace arm 82, 84, 86, 88 is secured to thebrace receiving opening 64 of the leg 14 at one end by means of itshooked terminal section 62, and is secured to the bottom wall 18 of thetable top at its other end by attachment to the brace-mounting holes 98provided in the diagonally opposite corner of the table top 18. Thebrace arms 82,

' 84, 86, 88 cross each other intermediate their ends at of attachingthe individual legs 14 to the brace arms 82 is identical to thatdescribed in attaching leg 14 to one of the brace arms 50, 52 and afterattachment thereto appears as is shown in the sectional view of FIG. 8as described above. At its other end, the brace arms 82, 84, 86, 88terminate in S-shaped securement sections 94 which are effectivelyattached to the bottom wall 18 and the brace-mounting holes 99 as isshown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The length of the brace arms 82, 84, 86, 88 issuch that it equals the distance between the inner seating surface atthe bracing section of one leg 14 to the brace mounting hole 90 at theopposite corner of the table top 12. At this point the S-shapedsecurement section 94 begins with the first bend 96 of that S-shapedsection. As seen in FIG. 11, the first bend of the S-shaped securementsection 92 is eifective to bring the brace arm 82 upwardly through thebottom wall 18. As shown in the present illustrative embodiment, whereina raised and tilted section 18a is formed as explained above, the secondbend 98 is spaced along the S-shaped securement section 92 such that thetail portion 100 of the securement section 92 is effective to lie injuxtaposed relation to a portion of the raised section 18a adjacent tothe brace mounting hole 90. As will be appreciated by viewing FIG. 11,the S-shaped securement section 92 and the mounting hole 90 areeffective to provide a firm seating for the brace arm 82 into the bottomwall 18 of the table top 12. Axial motion of the brace arm 82 isinhibited by the complimentary shape of the S-shaped securement section92, the brace mounting hole 90 and the raised portion 18a of the bottomwall 18. In an embodiment of the present invention wherein a raisedsection, such as 18a is not provided, the same results will be achievedby shortening the distance between the first bend 96 of the S-shapedsecurement section 92 and the second bend 98 such that intimate contactof the tail 10% will exist with the top of the bottom wall 18.

After the brace arms '82, 34, 86, 88 have been secured to theirrespective legs 14 and their brace mounting holes 90, the clampingmember 92 is secured about the cross over point of the brace arms bypassing the clamp body 102 over that intersection and threading the wingnut 104 upon the bolt 106 past the appropriate holes within the clampbody 192. The second embodiment brace means 80 will be thereby effectiveto form an additional brace means to rigidly secure the legs 14 to thetable top 12 in the table construction 10A.

It should be further realized that the present invention may bepracticed without the use of any bracing means such as brace means 16 orbrace means 80. The securement of the individual legs 14 to thedepending leg-mounting members 30 by means of the sockets 34a and themounting members 30 is sufficient in many instances to rigidly securethe said legs 14 to the table top 12 without any further bracingsupport. However, it is noted that when the material used to form boththe legs 14 and the table top 12 has fairly flexible mechanicalcharacteristics it will often be desirable to provide some sort ofbracing means to insure a rigid construction.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that there is provided inaccordance with the present invention a furniture construction providingknock-down features having advantageous characteristics. The inventionas herein disclosed provides leg-mounting means on the body portion on apiece of furniture wherein easy assembly and disassembly of the legs tothe body may be accomplished. Easily operated, releasable securementmeans are provided for releasably securing each of the legs to the bodyof the furniture construction. Brace means are further provided whichare effective to secure a rigid construction of the legs with respect tothe body and further, which are easily and securely assembled to thelegs and to the body. The furniture construction herein provided is suchthat upon disassembly the individual parts may be completely detachedsuch that they may be packaged in an efficient manner. Further, each ofthe parts of the furniture construction may be formed of a molded orotherwise shaped material at a relatively low cost.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances some features of theinvention will be used without a use of other corresponding featuresaccordingly, the claims herein should be construed broadly and in amanner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. An article of furniture including a base having a bottom wall, adepending tapered mounting member at each corner of said base anddepending from said bottom Wall, said bottom wall being formed with acutout adjacent one side of each mounting member, a leg at each cornerof said base means at the upper end of each leg providing a taperedsocket complementary to and receiving the adjacent leg-mounting member,means for releasably securing each of said legs to said base with therespective leg-mounting member received within said sockets, each of thereleasable securing means including a locking member fabricated of aspringy material and including an arm, means at one end of said armproviding a stub shaft for pivotally connecting said arm to the adjacentleg and means at the other end serving as a handle, said locking memberbeing located in said bottom wall and said arm being extended throughsaid cutout, journaling means on the adjacent leg receiving said stubshaft for pivotal engagement, said socket being telescoped over theadjacent mounting member in response to an upwardly directed pull onsaid handle while said locking member is in substantially verticalposition, and interengaging camming means on said bottom wall and onsaid locking member, said interengaging camming means including acamming dog on said bottom wall contiguous to said cutout underlyingsaid arm and a cooperating camming section on said arm, said camming dogand section being arranged such that a locking action occurs as saidlocking member is pivoted from said vertical position to a substantiallyhorizontal position wherein said handle bears against said bottom wall,and brace means operatively connected to said legs and to said base.

2. A table comprising a top having a shallow well including a bottomwall, a depending tapered mounting member at each corner of said top anddepending from said bottom wall, said bottom wall being formed with acutout adjacent one side of each mounting member, a leg at each cornerof said top, means at the upper end of each leg providing a taperedsocket complementary to and receiving the adjacent leg-mounting member,means for releasably securing each of said legs to said top with therespective leg-mounting members received within said sockets, each ofthe releasable securing means including a locking member fabricated of aspringy material and including an arm, means at the free end of said armproviding a stub shaft for pivotally connecting said arm to the adjacentleg and means at the other end serving as a handle, said locking memberbeing located in said bottom wall and said arm being extended throughsaid cutout, journaling means on the adjacent leg receiving said stubshaft for pivotal engagement, said socket being telescoped over theadjacent mounting member in response to an upwardly directed pull onsaid handle while said locking member is in substantially verticalposition, and interengaging camming means on said bottom wall and onsaid locking member, said interengaging camming means including acamming dog on said bottom wall contiguous to said cutout underlyingsaid arm and a coopcrating camming section on said arm, said camming dogand section being arranged such that a locking action occurs as saidlocking member is pivoted from said vertical position to a substantiallyhorizontal position wherein said handle bears against said bottom wall,and brace means operatively connected to said legs and to said top.

3. A furniture base having a shallow well including a bottom wall, adepending frusto-conical mounting member at each corner of said base anddepending from said bottom wall, said bottom wall being formed with anopposed pair of spaced cutouts at opposite sides of each mountingmember, a leg at each corner of said base, means at the upper end ofeach leg providing a frusto-conical socket complementary to andreceiving the adjacent leg-mounting member, means for releasablysecuring each of said legs to said base with the respective leg-mountingmembers received within said sockets, each of the releasable securingmeans including a substantially U-shaped locking member fabricated of aspringy material and including an opposed pair of spaced armsinterconnected by a bight serving as a handle, means at the free ends ofsaid arms providing stub shafts for pivotally connecting said arms tothe adjacent leg, said locking member being located in said bottom walland said pair of arms being extended through the adjacent pair ofcutouts, opposed journaling means on the adjacent leg-receiving saidstub shafts when said pair of arms are urged apart and subsequentlyreleased, said socket being telescoped over the adjacent mounting memberin response to an upwardly directed pull on said handle while saidlocking member is in substantially vertical position, and interengagingcamming means on said bottom wall and on said locking member, saidinterengaging camming means including an opposed pair of camming dogs onsaid bottom wall contiguous to said pair of cutouts underlying said pairof arms and cooperating camming sections on said pair of arms, saidcamming dogs and sections being arranged such that a locking actionoccurs as said locking member is pivoted from said vertical position toa substantially horizontal position wherein said handle bears againstsaid bottom Wall, and brace means operatively connected to said legs andto said base.

4. A table comprising a top having a shallow well including a bottomwall, a depending frusto-conical mounting member at each corner of saidtop and depending from said bottom wall, said bottom wall being formedwith an opposed pair of spaced cutouts at opposite sides of eachmounting member, a leg at each corner of said top, means at the upperend of each leg providing a frustoconical socket complementary to andreceiving the adjacent leg-mounting member, means for releasablysecuring each of said legs to said top with the respective legmountingmembers received within said sockets, each of the releasably securingmeans including a substantially U-shaped locking member fabricated of aspringy material and including an opposed pair of spaced armsinterconnected by a bight serving as a handle, means at the free ends ofsaid arms providing stub shafts for pivotally connecting said'arms tothe adjacent leg, said locking member being located in said bottom walland said pair of arms being extended through the adjacent pair ofcutouts, opposed journaling means on the adjacent leg receiving saidstub shafts when said pair of arms are urged apart and subsequentlyreleased, said socket being telescoped over the adjacent mounting memberin response to an upwardly directed pull on said handle while saidlocking member is in substantially vertical position, and interengagingcamming means on said bottom wall and on said locking member, saidinterengaging camming means including an opposed pair of camming dogs onsaid bottom wall contiguous to said pair of cutouts underlying said pairof arms and cooperating camming sections on said pair of arms, saidcamming dogs and sections being arranged such that a locking actionoccurs as said locking member is pivoted from said vertical position toa substantially horizontal position wherein said handle bears againstsaid bottom wall, and brace means operatively connected to said legs andto said top.

5. A table according to claim 2 wherein said brace means includes abracing arm for each of said legs and arranged to extend upwardly from alower end at a bracing location on each of said legs to an upper end ata securing location on said top at the diagonally opposite corner ofsaid top, each of said legs being formed with a brace-receiving openingat said bracing location spaced below the respective sockets and havinga hollow interior at said bracing locations, the lower end of eachbracing arm being formed with a hooked terminal section received in theadjacent brace-receiving opening when the legs are turned to an assemblyposition wherein the respective sockets are turned away from said top,said legs being turned substantially end for end and rotated to anassembled position wherein the hooked terminal sections are in bracingpositions straddling the hollow interiors of said legs at said bracinglocations, each corner of said table at said securing location beingformed with a bracemounting opening mounting the upper ends of saidbracing arms.

6. A table according to claim 2 having four legs wherein said bracemeans includes a pair of substantially V-shaped brace members, eachbracing member including a pair of bracing arms meeting at an apicalbolt-receiving eye and terminating at hooked terminal section, said legsbeing formed with brace-receiving openings at bracing locations spacedbelow the respective sockets and having a hollow interior at saidlocations, the respective hooked terminal sections of the pairs ofbracing arms being received in said brace-receiving openings with thelegs turned to an assembly position wherein the respective sockets areturned away from said top, said legs being turned substantially end forend and rotated to an assembled position wherein the hooked terminalsections of the respective braces are in bracing positions straddlingthe hollow interiors of said legs at said locations, and means connectedthrough said bolt-receiving eyes and through said bottom wall of saidtop for securing said pair of bracing members in said bracing positionwith said legs in said assembled position.

7. A table according to claim 4 wherein said brace means includes abracing arm for each of said legs and arranged to extend upwardly from alower end at a bracing location on each of said legs to an upper end atsecuring location on said top at the diagonally opposite corner of saidtop, each of said legs being formed with a brace-receiving opening atsaid bracing location spaced below the respective sockets and having ahollow interior at said bracing locations, the lower end of each bracingarm being formed with a hooked terminal section received in the adjacentbrace-receiving opening when the legs are turned to an assembly positionwherein the respective sockets are turned away from said top, said legsbeing turned substantially end for end and rotated to an assembledposition wherein the hooked terminal sections are in bracing positionsstraddling the hollow interiors of said legs at said bracing locations,each corner of said table being formed with a brace-mounting opening atsaid securing location, the upper end of each bracing arm being formedwith a securement section received in the adjacent brace-mountingopening.

8. A furniture base according to claim 1 wherein said brace meansincludes a bracing arm for each of said legs and arranged to extendupwardly from a lower end at a bracing location on each of said legs toan upper end at a securing location on said top at the diagonallyopposite corner of said base, each of said legs being formed with abrace-receiving opening at said bracing location spaced below therespective sockets and having a hollow interior at said bracinglocations, the lower end of each bracing arm being formed with a hookedterminal section received in the adjacent brace-receiving opening whenthe legs are turned to an assembly position wherein the respectivesockets are turned away from said top, said legs being turnedsubstantially end for end and rotated to an assembled position whereinthe hooked terminal sections are in bracing positions straddling thehollow interiors of said legs at said bracing locations, each corner ofsaid base being formed with a brace-mounting opening at said ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Shortall May 9,1905 12 Shrader July 3, 1928 MacFadden Dec. 17, 1940 MacFadden Feb. 4,1941 Heifetz Apr. 19, 1955 Campbell Mar. 13, 1956 Cvikich Mar. 19, 1957Burdick July 1, 1958 Healy May 5, 1959

